In New Caledonia, independence mobilisation marks three months of protests

This day of action, marked by a filtration dam or a march, is decided by the Coordination Unit for Field Actions of the Mobilization Origins Movement (CCAT) and will be renewed on the 13th of each month as a “Day of Remembrance” of the “beginning of the uprising”.

In Poia, on the border between the north and south provinces, Gilles Nahiet greets motorists on the roadside wearing a T-shirt and cap in CCAT colors. The head of CCAT in the town of Koné has been there almost every day for three months.

Unlike the first weeks of the movement, he and his comrades no longer blocked traffic, but speed bumps made of thick rope forced motorists to slow down.

He said, “In memory of our martyrs, we raised the black flag next to the independence flag.” The riots left ten people dead, including two gendarmes.

“We posted pictures of political prisoners on the side of the road,” he added, referring to seven CCAT activists who were accused of organizing violence and placed in pretrial detention in mainland France in late June. Two have since been released from prison but remain under judicial supervision in France.

However, an incident at a dam a few kilometers from Poia has forced people to circle between barriers to get around it. For weeks, the site has been the subject of a standoff between young activists armed with slingshots and the police, who intervened on Tuesday before withdrawing.

Mobilizations and marches also took place elsewhere in the territory. An AFP journalist noted that in the metropolitan area of ​​Noumea, these events did not receive large-scale attention. In some places, activists flew independence flags, but there were no excesses to report.

A march of local CCAT members headed for one of two police roadblocks at noon in the Saint-Louis area, near Noumea, an independence stronghold where security has not yet been restored. After the demonstration, the complaint was referred to the police.

A parliamentary review of an electoral reform project accused of marginalizing indigenous peoples was the starting point for the massive pro-independence mobilization that turned into riots on May 13. Calm has gradually returned, but the curfew remains in effect.